Thought Leadership

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When someone dies in the workforce through no fault of his or her own it’s undeniably a tragedy. But in many people’s minds, line of fire injuries—those injuries that result when a worker places his or her body in the direct path of  a serious hazard—the injured worker must bear at least some culpability for his or her injury.

Scott Geller coined the term “actively caring” in 1990 when working with a team of safety leaders at Exxon Chemical in Baytown, Texas. Theirvision was to cultivate a brother’s/sister’s keepers culture. Everyone would look out for each other’s safety.

In the workplace and with the family, we have all made mistakes that we wish we could take back and start over. Well, at least I have. This is not a one-occasion event.  There are lots of times I have said or done things that later on cause me to cringe. 

I’m riding to Southern California on the Amtrak San Joaquin as we approach the next train station along the way. A few minutes from the station, the conductor announces the next stop and encourages people to gather their belongings because it will be a quick stop.

When it comes to organizational change, for my money you can’t beat the work of Edgar Schein. Schein is considered by many to be the father of organizational development; he coined the term “corporate culture” and if for that fact alone should be revered in the same hushed tones in which people talk about Edison, Deming, or Jobs.

It is hard to tell when observation processes first came on the scene.  Maybe they came in back in the 1930s with H. W. Heinrich as he developed his ever so controversial injury pyramid.

The Senate’s grudging confirmation of Tom Perez as Secretary of Labor was the first piece of good news working people have had out of the federal government for quite some time.

One of the more interesting things about being involved in government affairs on a daily basis is listening to the rhetoric that comes from the politicians and the political parties. I say “interesting” because one must listen close to really determine if any of this rhetoric has any bearing on our daily lives. Of course, much of it does, but most of it is simply their way of promoting their own agenda.

Unfortunately, unlike maritime or general industry, OSHA construction regulations do not have permit required confined space standards, and do not have lock-out requirements to assure that hazards are isolated.  Our system of adding new OSHA regulations is essentially broken.  Both these standards have been on the regulatory agenda for well over a decade.

Great strides have been made in the world of child safety seats. However, the laws and the seat specifics can be confusing. Here are the basics you need to know to keep your little one safe.